SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR ALARMING FRONT IMPACT DANGER COUPLED WITH DRIVER VIEWING DIRECTION AND VEHICLE USING THE SAME

• US 20120089321A1
• Filed: 11/22/2010
• Published: 04/12/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/11/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai Motor Group)
• Original Assignee: Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai Motor Group)
• Inventors: Jung, Ho Cheol
• Granted Patent: US 8,862,380 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/301
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 3/113 for determining or recording eye movement
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 28/066 actuating a signalling device B60K28/063 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/143 Alarm means
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/30 Driving style
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2552/00 Input parameters relating to infrastructure
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2555/60 Traffic rules, e.g. speed limits or right of way
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/50 of positioning data, e.g. GPS [Global Positioning System] data
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/085 Taking automatic action to adjust vehicle attitude in preparation for collision, e.g. braking for nose dropping
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/09 Taking automatic action to avoid collision, e.g. braking and steering
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/095 Predicting travel path or likelihood of collision
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/14 Means for informing the driver, warning the driver or prompting a driver intervention
• CPC Class Codes: B60Y 2300/18158 Approaching intersection
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3602 Input other than that of destination using image analysis, e.g. detection of road signs, lanes, buildings, real preceding vehicles using a camera
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3697 Output of additional, non-guidance related information, e.g. low fuel level G01C21/3679 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30201 Face
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/75 involving models
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/597 Recognising the driver's state or behaviour, e.g. attention or drowsiness
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/165 using facial parts and geometric relationships
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/19 Sensors therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/166 for active traffic, e.g. moving vehicles, pedestrians, bikes

Abstract

Featured are a system and a method for alarming a front impact danger coupled with a driver viewing direction and a vehicle Such a system includes: a driver viewing direction recognition unit recognizing a driver viewing direction; an obstacle sensing unit sensing obstacles existing in directions that a driver does not view; and an engine control unit. The engine control unit receives and analyzes the driver face direction data from the driver viewing direction recognition unit to identify the driver viewing direction when the vehicle enters in the crossroads, and requests the obstacle sensing unit perform obstacle sensing for another direction than the driver'"'"'s viewing direction and analyzes analyze an obstacle sensing result. Such methods advantageously warns a driver to the presence of obstacles when a vehicle enters in crossroads to prevent a traffic accident.

Claims

1. A system for alarming a front impact danger coupled with a driver viewing direction, comprising:

a driver viewing direction recognition unit that recognizes a driver viewing direction;

an obstacle sensing unit that senses obstacles existing in directions that a driver does not view; and

an engine control unit that receives and analyzes driver face direction data from the driver viewing direction recognition unit to identify the driver viewing direction when the vehicle enters in crossroads, and that request the obstacle sensing unit to perform obstacle sensing for a direction opposite to the driver viewing direction and to analyze an obstacle sensing result.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising a navigation unit that provides information regarding the crossroads and moving direction information of the vehicle to the engine control unit.

3. The system of claim 1, further comprising an alarm sound output unit that outputs an alarm sound responsive to control signals from the engine control unit.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the engine control unit checks if both eyes are detected from the face direction data, calculates a both eyes based direction angle when the both eyes are detected, and calculates a face contour based face direction angle when the both eyes are detected or one eye is detected.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the engine control unit makes a triangle based on a center of a left eye, a center of a right eye, and a nose center form the face direction data, connects the nose center to a center point of the left eye center and the right eye center, connects a point drawing a perpendicular line perpendicular to the center point of the left eye center and the right eye center to the nose center N to form an isosceles right triangle to thereby calculate an angle toward center point of the left eye center and the right eye center as the both eyes based face direction angle.

6. The system of claim 4, wherein the engine control unit calculates the face contour based direction angle using a distance between a right end of a driver face and a left end of the driver face, a distance between the right end of the driver face and a nose center, and a distance between the left end of the driver face and the nose center, in the face direction data.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the engine control unit calculates the face contour based direction angle using a distance between a right end of a driver face and a left end of the driver face, a distance between the right end of a driver face and a nose center, and a distance between the left end of a driver face and the nose center in the face direction data and stores the calculated face contour based direction angle in a look-up table, and determines a driver viewing direction using the look-up table when receiving the face data from the driver viewing direction recognition unit.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the driver viewing direction recognition unit is an imaging device.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the obstacle sensing unit is one of a radar, an imaging device, a laser, or an ultrasonic sensor and a direction of the obstacle sensing unit changes by a motor coupled with the driver viewing direction.

10. A method for alarming a front impact danger coupled with a driver viewing direction, comprising:

receiving crossroads information and moving direction information of a vehicle when the vehicle enters in crossroads;

checking the driver viewing direction;

sensing obstacles existing in another direction that the driver does not view; and

checking if the driver enters in the moving direction of the vehicle according to presence of the obstacle as the sensing result of the obstacle.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein checking the driver viewing direction comprises:

imaging the driver face;

checking whether both eyes are detected from the image data of the driver face;

calculating a both eyes based face direction angle when the both eyes are detected; and

calculating a face contour based face direction angle when the both eyes are not detected or one of the both eyes is detected.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein calculating a both eyes based face direction angle makes a triangle based on a center of a left eye, a center of a right eye, and a nose center form the face direction data, connects the nose center to a center point of the left eye center and the right eye center, connects a point drawing a perpendicular line perpendicular to the center point of the left eye center and the right eye center to the nose center N to form an isosceles right triangle to thereby calculate an angle toward center point of the left eye center and the right eye center as the both eyes based face direction angle.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein calculating a face contour based face direction angle includes calculating the face contour based direction angle using a distance between a right end of a driver face and a left end of the driver face, a distance between the right end of a driver face and a nose center, and a distance between the left end of a driver face and the nose center in the face direction data.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein sensing an obstacle includes controlling a direction of the sensing unit embodying one of a radar, an imaging device, a laser, or an ultrasonic sensor, said controlling includes controlling a motor coupled to the sensing unit so as to sense an obstacle in a direction that the driver does not view, and so as to calculate a speed of the vehicle to determine an impact time.

15. The method of claim 10, further comprising outputting an alarm sound when there is the obstacle to alarm the vehicle so the vehicle does not enter in the crossroads.

16. The method of claim 10, further comprising outputting an alarm sound when there is no obstacle to alarm so the vehicle enters in the crossroads.

17. A vehicle using system for alarming a front impact danger coupled with a driver viewing direction, comprising:

a driver viewing direction recognition unit that recognizes a driver viewing direction;

an obstacle sensing unit that senses obstacles existing in directions that a driver does not view; and

an engine control unit that receives and analyzes driver face direction data from the driver viewing direction recognition unit to identify the driver viewing direction when the vehicle enters in crossroads, and that requests obstacle sensing for a direction opposite to the driver viewing direction to the obstacle sensing unit to analyze an obstacle sensing result.

18. The vehicle of claim 17, further comprising a navigation unit that provides information regarding the crossroads and moving direction information of the vehicle.

19. The vehicle of claim 17, wherein the engine control unit checks whether both eyes are detected from the face direction data, calculates a both eyes based direction angle when the both eyes are detected, and calculates a face contour based face direction angle when the both eyes are detected or one eye is detected.

20. The vehicle of claim 17, wherein the obstacle sensing unit is one of a radar, a camera, a laser, or an ultrasonic sensor.